RoseTinted Glasses
by Kyo and Sinclair
Summary: Yaoi The demon woman cried out in pain, pulling away, and I used the chance to grab my Knight in Fuzzy Armor. The woman sent me a look of pure venom, which I took as a hint that I should get away NOW!
1. Sucky birthdays

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own my totally kawaii Kirara Plushie!**_

_**Warning: lotsa cussing later on. **_

_**Warning 2.0: Chapter started out a bit weak, but gets better pretty quick**_

X

"Ji-chan! What'd you get me for my birthday?"

I turn to the side, smiling wryly. I can imagine the eager look on my sister's face as she spoke to our grandfather. There was a rustling noise, and soon she was squeaking in horror.

"EW! What in the world is THAT!?"

"It's the hand of a water nymph." came Ji-chan 's gruff, but still a tad loony sounding voice. "It's full of history!"

My eyes widened, and I felt my rose-tinted glasses slide down my nose. Nasty! A hand!?

"Here Bouyo, eat." said my sister's monotone voice. Our cat gave a mew of confirmation, and I heard him trot away, likely with his prize in his mouth.

"No!" shouted Ji-chan. "Kagome, how could you give that darned cat an ancient artifact! BOUYO! COME BACK!!"

I rolled my eyes, turning towards Kagome. "Ew. I hope he doesn't give me anything like that on **_my _**birthday."

Kagome scoffed. "Oh please! He does this every year! It gets worse at each of our birthdays."

I smirk. "Souta 's next…. Poor brat. I still have a month to prepare myself for the horror."

"It's not as bad for you though. Ugh, if you had **_seen _**how gross that was! Blech!"

I rolled my eyes, grabbing up my snake-head cane, pushing myself up from the floor. Giving her a mock glare out of the corner of my eye, I cock my head towards the door. "Alright, Birthday Brat, we need to go to school. You coming, or are you gonna make me walk with Souta?"

"Fine, fine." she sighed. Calling back to our mother, we both walked through the door and into the bright sunlight.

A small smile flitted across my face as I looked around the yard of the Higurashi temple. It was a bright day, so it only took me a moment to notice our younger brother standing edgily beside the old well house.

"Souta-chan?" called Kagome, walking over, me following behind slowly. "You'll be late if you don't leave now. Besides, didn't Oka-san, and Ji-chan tell you not to play here? It's dangerous."

"But sis…" he murmured. "Bouyo 's down there…."

"Psh! He's a cat, he'll be fine! If something happens, he's still got 8 other lives."

"But, sis….."

I rolled my eyes, removing my weight from my cane. "I'll get him. Just gimme a minute, okay?"

"Don't be an idiot, Mamoiro! It already takes the two of us long enough to get to school without detours!" scolded Kagome.

I waved her off, already using my cane to make my way down the steps, looking blindly around the room. "Bouyo?" I beckoned lowly. I was too quiet a person to actually call. "Are you here? Bouyo?"

I heard Souta and Kagome yelp as a scratching noise came from where I'd assume the well was. Ignoring them, I stepped foreword, scooping the overweight cat into my arms.

"Hey, Bouyo. You scared the hell outta them, nice job!" I chirped, scratching him behind the ears. His purring filled the room, and I listened vaguely as my siblings started arguing about who had been more scared. 'Idiots' I thought.

Suddenly a crashing noise sounded behind me, a blue light filling the room. I gasped in fear as what felt like three pairs of arms latched onto me, dragging me into the well.

Struggling with all my might, I nearly screamed myself as I saw that it was a centipede-like woman that had dragged me in. She grasped my head with one pair of arms, a euphoric look on her face. "Alive…" she moaned. "Oh to be alive once more…. Already, my strength returns!" she looked me in the eyes, smirking at the fear I was certain was written all over my face. "You have it don't you? Give it to me!"

I drew back in horror as her long wet tongue snaked out of her mouth, running over my cheek. "What are you doing! Let go!" I cried, trying to get out of her inhuman grasp. I heard a hissing noise, and looked down to see Bouyo with his claws dug into my cane (how had I managed to hold onto that!?). With a angry yowl, he launched himself at the centipede woman, digging his teeth into an arm.

The woman cried out in pain, pulling away, and I used the chance to grab Knight in Fuzzy Armor. The woman sent me a look of pure venom, which I took as a hint that I should get away NOW!

Mustering all the strength I had (which was admittedly not a lot) I drew back my fist, punching her straight in the jaw. A safe-feeling heat engulfed my hand, and the woman flew backwards, one of her arms actually detaching. "Wretched girl! I must have the sacred jewel!" she cried.

I stared in disbelief as I fell through the blue nothing-ness on my own, clutching Bouyo to me. "The sacred jewel?" I mumbled, watching until she was too far away to do me harm. All of a sudden my feet touched the ground, and I fell to my knees, cane hitting the ground at my side. "Ah!"

I blinked, looking up to see…. Nothing, really. A bright square of light far above me, but everything else almost pitch black. "We fell.. In the well…" I whispered to Bouyo, though I was trying convince myself more then him. "Must've hit my head… or something." He mewed, hopping from my arms. A moment later he was back, pushing something into my hands. I touched it, feeling along the length before squeaking in horror as I touched lifeless, clawed fingers. It was the centipede-lady's arm! "Okay, okay! Maybe not!" I exclaimed, throwing it away. Taking a calming breath, I stood up, using my cane to support myself, as my legs were suddenly to shaky to do their jobs. "Souta! Kagome! Get help!"

I got no answer, and I couldn't make out anyone near the top. I called out a few more times, before giving up. I set Bouyo on my shoulders, and held my cane up to him. "You hold onto this until we get to the top, okay? If you drop it, I wont be able to get out of the well-house." the calico mewed in agreement, closing his sharp little teeth around it. Once certain that he was going to take care of it, I threaded my fingers into the mess of vines along the inside of the well, and pulled myself slowly towards the top.

After what felt like forever, I pulled myself over the edge, collapsing onto the ground. Bouyo dropped my cane into my lap, rubbing my hand affectionately. I sent him a weak smile, and looked around. "This… isn't the well house." I stated needlessly. Whereas the old well-house was too dark for me to see anything but the door, and only if it was open, this well appeared to be in the middle of a meadow in the forest.

I shakily held Bouyo to my chest, burying my nose into his soft fur. "Th-this is okay…" I mumbled. "The floor in the well collapsed… and I fell into a tunnel… that connected to this one…. That's all…..Yes, that's what happened, Bouyo."

He meowed, nuzzling my face before tugging at my sleeve. I could tell he wanted us to get moving. Or he was hungry. Either way he would bring us home. Didn't people say that a cat always knows its way home, no matter how far away it gets?

I stood, smiling down at him. Apparently satisfied, he started foreword, towards the woods, and I followed trustingly. When we were under the shade of the trees, and I could no longer see, he took to meowing or rubbing up on my cane every few seconds. (Bouyo may have been lazy, but he was a genius for a cat )

"We must be in a park, or something of the like." I said after a while, as I struggled to find my way between a pair of bushes. "Where else would have so many trees?"

My only response was a low meow, but it didn't sound like he was agreeing.

"I'm serious, Bouyo. Have you ever seen so many trees and bushes in one place that wasn't a park? There just aren't many huge, wooded forests in Tokyo after all."

"Myaw."

Sighing, rounded a tree, and froze. We were in a small clearing, and right in the middle was a huge tree. A huge, very familiar tree. "Is that the Sacred tree?" I asked, not expecting an answer. "But if so, what's the red thing?"

Bouyo made an impatient noise, so I moved closer. When we were just about upon it, I gasped. "Is that a person!?" I exclaimed, hurriedly following Bouyo onto the thick roots. When we got close enough to touch, I saw that it was indeed a person. A boy, a few years older than me, at that. He was wearing a baggy, all red outfit, and had white/blonde hair down to his waist. He seemed to be sleeping.

Seeing something atop his head, I moved to touch them, but hissed in pain when my chest hit something sharp. I ran my hands over it, to find that it was the butt end of an arrow. An arrow that was embedded in the boys chest, between the multitude of vines that held him there also. I couldn't begin to guess what was going on ,and it was starting to scare me.

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" shouted a voice from behind me. I jerked violently, losing my balance and falling against the boy on the tree. Sounds of what I thought might have been arrows sinking into the wood around me caused me to hold onto the boy for dear life. Bouyo hissed at the men, hopping onto my shoulders.

A crowd of men ran foreword, grabbing me, and the only thing I could think during this life-threatening situation was 'Are they wearing dresses?'

X

Kk. I'm only sayingt this once. I spilt this up from one big-ass chapter, and don't feel like changing anything. Any little (1) marks, you should go to chapter 6, up until I start work on chapter 7. There is also a brief character description.


	2. Demon Begone

I looked around fearfully as what appeared to be an entire olden-days village surrounded me. My hands were tied behind my back, and my ankles were tied together, so I was sitting uncomfortably on my knees. Poor Bouyo sat beside me, hog-tied, giving me a look that clearly state that he felt that this was all my fault. Furry little brat.

"Look at that hair!" exclaimed someone from the crowd, a woman. They were about 4 yards away all around, but with the soon-to-be setting sun I couldn't make out any faces or defining features, other than the colour of their dresses. "It's yellow, like a pale sun!"

"Do you think she's a foreigner?"

"Is it war?" asked a male from a little to the left of the chatting women.

"Of course! Right at rice planting season too!"

"Do you think it's a Kitsune in disguise?" asked another woman.

"Naw, they're too clever to mess up like that. They'd try to blend in."

"It could be a baby one."

"No. Maybe it's a witch! That certainly is an odd looking cat after all."

"Yeah. That would also explain those odd pink circles in front of her eyes. What do you think they're for?"

"Seeing into our minds I bet! Don't look at them!"

I felt a twitch starting at the corner of my eye. 'Freaking idiots! Their called pink-tinted sunglasses! Where are we, the middle ages!?'

"Make way for High Priestess Kaede!" called some random guy.

An old woman in red and white walked foreword, and got close enough for me to be able to tell that she was very wrinkly and had an eye patch. I raised an eyebrow as she held up a little bag of what was either sand or rice. She took out a handful and through it on me.

"Demon Begone!" she exclaimed.

I shook my head, trying to get the stuff out of my face. "Oi! Quit it, I'm not a demon you old psycho!"

"Are ye not?" she said, ignoring the Psycho comment. "Then why were ye found in the Forest of Inuyasha?"

"She could be a spy from another village." said the man that had announced her.

"Then she be a fool. Who would invade a village as poor as ours?" she turned back to me, moving even closer, narrowing her eye at me. "Child, what be these circles in front of ye's eyes?"

I grinned sarcastically. "They be pink-tinted sunglasses."

"What are they for?"

"For making things pink."

"Hmm…" she reached foreword, taking them gently from my nose, gasping in surprise once she did. "Child! Ye eyes! Such a shade of blue I've never seen! Are ye blind?"

I growled in the back of my throat. I wasn't blind, dammit, just a little! "I can see in bright light. Otherwise I am. You gotta problem with that? No? Then put my damned glasses back on!"

She nodded, placing them back on my nose. "So you use them to hide your eyes?"

"Yeah. The whole milky blue-white colour has a way of making people nervous and announcing it to everybody." at this I sent her a dark glare.

She nodded her head. "I understand, child. What are you doing in our village?"

"I dunno. I was walking in the woods, when suddenly a bunch of grown men in dresses tied me and my cat up and brought us here."

Kaede sent me a disapproving look. "I understand that ye are upset, but ye need not be hostile."

"I am having a bad day, get over it!" I huffed, looking down at Bouyo who I could swear was snickering. "Look, I was getting my cat out of our well house this morning, when some 6 armed lady dragged me into the well and **_licked_** me. Her arm came off when I hit her, and then I come out of a **_different_** well, and get kidnapped by psycho village people. Could you **_please _**let me go so I can get home?"

She looked at me hard for a for a full minute, before she turned to the man. "Let her go. I don't believe she is a threat."

"My cat too!"

Kaede smiled, like I was a little kid, which I admit I might have sounded like for a while. "And her cat."

I sent a bright sparkly smile (one I'd stolen from Kagome) at the youngish man that was untying me. He blushed scarlet (earning himself a glare from Kaede) and quickly undid the ropes. He went to undo Bouyo 's ropes (Bouyo making the job as difficult as possible) and soon I had my Seeing-Eye cat back in my arms.

X

A half hour or so later I sat inside Kaede 's hut, watching the fire above which Kaede seemed to be making stew. It smelled great, but I couldn't see it or Kaede since the sun had gone down, so it cold have been poisoned right in front of me for all I know.

"Here you go, child." said Kaede, holding what felt like a rough bowl against me hand. I accepted it, smiling in the direction of her voice. "Thank you, Kaede-san. It smells great." I said, lifting it to my lips for a sip. "Tastes great too!"

"Thank ye." she said with a smile in her voice. "Please, bear us no ill will. These are times of war, and no stranger is to be welcomed with open arms or trusted."

"We really aren't anywhere near Tokyo are we?" I said weakly.

"To-key-oh? Is that where ye people are from?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Do they all have yellow hair like ye's?"

"Well, no, not really. A few people fake it, but…. My parents were foreigners, and they were both blue-eyed blondes."

"Were?"

"Yeah, they died when I was little. They settled into Japan, a really safe area they thought they could raise a baby in, but were killed by robbers one night."

Kaede sighed. "Aye. I understand ye's plight. My elder sister died many years ago. These times of war are difficult on everyone."

"Uh-huh." I drank a little more of the stew, offering a few pieces of meat to the drowsy cat laying across my knees. "I need to get home, but… I don't know which way to go, or where I am, even."

The hut fell into silence, and the hairs on my neck stood up. I could tell that Kaede was looking at me very hard. "What is ye name, child?"

"Mamoiro Higurashi, ma'am. But a lot of people call me Blue."

"Why?"

"Because my name means Pink."

She chuckled, but abruptly stopped as a crash sounded from outside. Grabbed my cane and we both hurried to the doorway, looking for the source of the noise.

I was scared. I could hear people screaming and running, whatever the thing was was very close, and the terrified braying of a horse had gone three stories into the air. Bouyo was hissing his furry butt off, and had backed himself up against my leg, trying to ward off the thing from me.

"Give me the sacred jewel!" screeched a familiar voice.

"It's the thing from the well!" I gasped, staring wide-eyed in the centipede-woman's direction.

Kaede suddenly pushed me over, and I felt the wind off of something huge flying over me. "It said sacred jewel!" exclaimed Kaede. "Bear ye it still!?"

"I don't know! I've only ever heard of it in passing before!"

"I must have it! I must!" cried the woman from far above.

'That thing… She's after me! Crap!' I thought looking at where I could feel a circle had been formed around Kaede and I.

"Spears and arrows are useless!" hissed one of them. He sounded vaguely like the man I'd unleashed the Kagome Beam on, but I couldn't be certain since he sounded so panicked.

"We must lure it to the dry well!" exclaimed Kaede.

"The one crawled out of?" I asked.

"Aye. In the forest of Inuyasha."

I nodded. Bouyo meowed at my feet, tugging at the leg of my jeans(1). I nodded in understanding, and we both took off towards what I could only assume was the moon, the only thing I could see in the dark night.

"Mamoiro, wait!" cried Kaede, but I was more than capable of booking it when I wanted to, so the stooped old woman had no chance of catching me.

The centipede lady on the other hand……

X

"Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea!" I chanted as I followed Bouyo's purposely loud steps. It was a good thing we were headed right for the moon or else I would have lost him long ago as we went through trees and bushes, the centipede hissing and shouting behind me.

'Someone will come, right?' I thought in panic. 'Someone always comes!'

My lungs were burning and my hands throbbed where my nails had dug into my palms.

'No Kagome to cuss out the bullies, no Hojo-kun to scare them off…. No one I know is anywhere near here! Who will help!? Who will know I'm even in trouble!?'

"Somebody please, Help Me!!"

X


	3. Flying Bunnies

I lifted my head, golden eyes staring into the trees before me. "I smell it…" I rasped, clenching my claws in front of my face. "The blood of the woman who killed me." a smirk flitted across my features. "And she's coming this way."

I listened as the sounds of something big got closer and closer.

"Give me the jewel!" yelled a voice that could barely be defined as female.

"I don't have it!" exclaimed another. It wasn't exactly familiar, but then again, I could tell I'd been out for a long while, if the vines around me were anything to go by.

There was a huge crash, and a scream, and suddenly a odd white, orange and black cat flew between a the trees, followed by a girl. Her hair was almost white, her pants tight-ish and blue, with an odd pink shirt. Pink circles were in front of her eyes, but even with all these differences, there was no mistaking the scent. "Hello Kikyou." I sneered. "Playing with bugs now are we?"

The girl looked up at me, and fear and confusion written all over her face. Yes, it was definitely Kikyou, despite the disguise of different clothes and hair. "Did you… Are you the boy on the tree?"

I furrowed my brows. "What're you talking about? What's it look like! Of course I am, now let me the hell down!"

"But I…."

"What you doin' acting so stupid anyways? Why don't you do that bug like you did me?"

"Huh?"

"Lost your mind with you old age, Kikyou?"

"Old!? Now wait just a- -"

"She's here."

The centipede woman suddenly burst through the trees, swooping down on her. Kikyou screamed, something I'd never seen her do, ducking down. Arrows shot from the tree line, embedding themselves in the demoness' side. She shrieked, baring her fangs at the villagers that had come out, holding ropes were attached to the arrows.

"Okay, now Pull!" shouted one of the men, and they yanked the Centipede away from Kikyou, who visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." she whispered. "I was saved. Thankyouthankyou!"

I rolled my eyes, glaring at her. "Your pathetic, Kikyou! Needing villagers to save you from such a weakling demon!"

"That's it!" she snapped, sending made a glare that could freeze ice. "I am not Kikyou! You better get that freaking straight! I don't know who she is, but she ain't me!"

"Yes you are! If you weren't how could you smell so- -" I froze as she stepped onto the vines, glaring at me through the pink circles. Her scent. It wasn't Kikyou's. It was just very very close. "Wait…. You aren't her."

"That's what I said, dumb-ass! My name is Mamoiro! Ma-Moi-Ro!"

It sniffed turning my head to the side. "Your right. You're too scrawny. Kikyou was way cuter than you."

She rolled her eyes, hitting my head with the odd stick-thing in her hand, which had escaped my notice up until then. 'Bitch.' I thought.

X (Mamoiro's POV)

Feeling much better, I sent a smirk at the white-haired A-Hole. "So, what the f- -EEK!" I squeaked in horror as lots of arms (5 instead of 6, I noticed smugly through my panic) grabbed me around the waist. I scrambled for a hand-hold to keep from being dragged away. "Let go!" I yelled, as I barely latched onto to something, resulting in my being lifted only part ways up.

"Ow ow ow! You let go!" shouted the boy. Apparently what I ended up grabbing was his hair. I didn't feel an ounce of remorse.

"GIVE ME THE SACRED JEWEL!" yelled the centipede woman from behind me. I heard her move in and sent my fist flying blindly for her. From the resulting crack, I assumed I'd hit her nose. She shrieked in pain, and sunk her teeth into my side. I screamed as well, letting go of the boy, watching as a pinkish-purple light fell from my side. It looked like a pearl, or some sort of jewel, and at the moment, it was all that I could see.

I hit the ground hard, and Bouyo was immediately at my side, pushing my cane into my hands, meowing frantically. Keeping my eyes trained on the light, I painfully pushed myself up, my side throbbing the whole time.

"Gimme the jewel, quick!" exclaimed the boy on the tree, but before I could even begin to think if I should comply, something huge, thick, and alive crushed me up against him on the tree.

I gasped, feeling my whole body shaking in absolute terror. I wasn't a coward, but this was too much. I couldn't see anything, I couldn't tell what was going on, and there seemed to be a really good chance that I would die in the next few minutes.

"Don't be a coward, girl." he sneered.

"Shut up!" I cried, feeling my eyes fill with tears, but not letting them fall.

The demon woman laughed evilly. "I heard some half-demon spawn was after the Scared Jewel! It was you, wasn't it?"

I started to shake harder. Half demon?! What the hell was going on!?

"Half is all I need to kick your scaly ass!"

Making up my mind, I looked up to where I assumed his eyes were. "Listen, are you serious? Can you actually do that?"

"Hell yeah I can!"

The demon woman laughed, and watched as the bright light, which as the jewel apparently, grew fainter.

"It swallowed it!" exclaimed one of the villagers, who were apparently all still here. "Lady Kaede, what do we do!?"

The demon made a horrible noise, which morphed into a cackle. "At last! My power is completed!"

The thing around me tightened, and I gasped in pain. "Ahh!" I gasped, clutching tighter to the boys shirt.

"Pull out the arrow." he said, and I could feel his glare. I couldn't answer, because I couldn't lift my head. I was getting dizzy, and I couldn't draw enough air into my lungs. "Pull out the arrow, and I'll save you. Understand?"

I lifted a shaky hand, running it up his chest as I searched for the shaft of the weapon. I finally found it, clenching my fist around it. It was my only chance. I didn't care what the consequences were for releasing the half-demon from his tree, but I couldn't stand the thought of being slowly crushed to death.

Putting the last of my strength into it, I pulled backwards as hard as I could.

The arrow seamed to disintegrate in my hand, with the same light that had been on my hand in the well.

"It's gone!" cried Kaede. "My sister's spell on Inuyasha is gone! It was supposed to last forever!"

"Inu… yasha?" I whimpered, as the edges of my vision started to go black. I was going to die. This was it. No more Mamoiro.

Inuyasha laughed maniacally. One of his hands lifted, and he brought it down in a slashing motion. Suddenly a bright yellow light surrounded us (unfortunately allowing me to see that it was centipede part of the body that had wrapped around me) and we both fell to the ground, me landing on my ass, him on his feet.

The demon screamed in pain as half of her body was destroyed by the light. Inuyasha laughed again, and another light shot out, gifting me the **_lovely _**sight of what was left of her body being cut in half long-ways .( O.o; )

"Ew….." I groaned, as a piece landed beside me. I yelped as one of the sharp buggy legs poked my leg. "It's still moving! Gross!"

"Find the jewel, quickly!" said Kaede, from only a few feet away. "It will be glowing."

I nodded. Walking shakily (blindly) towards the glowing spot in the dark. Of course, being the wonderful people that they were, they just watched and gave me **_no _**help as I fumbled around, tripping on invisible rocks. Finally I fell **_ONTOP_** of part of the body, smacking my hand quickly on the spot as I scrambled off. "It's there, it's there, gross!"

She walked foreword calmly, ignoring as I was traumatized by bumping into another section that actually grabbed me. The light rose a few feet in the air, and the legs released me, so I guessed that she had took it out.

She stepped over, taking my shaking hands, depositing the (thankfully clean-feeling) jewel into my hands. "Only ye may posses the jewel." she said sagely.

I sniffled pitifully, sending her a half-glare, half-pout. "You suck." I sobbed miserably.

She chuckled. "Why are ye upset with me, child?"

"Because you suck."

I heard a crunching noise, and whipped around. "I held up my end of the deal, kid." came Inuyasha's voice. "I saved your whimpy ass from a whimpy demon. Now gimme the jewel!"

"You didn't say you wanted it." I mumbled, rubbing away the tears and trying to act a little less like a little kid. I was almost 16, after all, today's media should've desensitized me years ago. "You just said to pull out the arrow."

"Well I do. I saved your life, don't you think it's a fair deal?"

Nodding, I stood up, fully intent on giving the jewel to him. He saved me, after all. It was just a jewel. I didn't care what it was worth, or that it had been inside my body for possibly my entire life. It was out now, and I was alive. Sounded liked a fair trader. Hell, I probably owed him more.

"Nay child!" cried Kaede. "Pay no heed to Inuyasha!"

"But- -"

"I hate having to wait!" yelled Inuyasha, and I could hear in his steps that he was running foreword. "And hate the way you smell!"

I took a step toward him, jewel-in-hand, only to trip on part of the skeleton the demon left behind. I fell foreword, and when I was half-way to the ground, the yellow-light lit up my world again.

Right. Above. My head.

My adrenaline levels already having been way out of whack from the horrible day I'd been having, I found myself on my feet and running away before I could even really register that I'd been attacked.

"Get him!" yelled the men, and I could hear arrows flying through the air, and shattering as they hit the area his footsteps were coming from. I tried to convince my legs to stop, tried to remind them that we had intended to give him the jewel all along, that the longer we ran the more likely it was we'd be hit with that yellow light, but hey were like totally different beings, beings that were not going to listen to me no matter what I said. It was as if Kagome had possessed them or something.

"Prepare yourself!" yelled Inuyasha from a lot closer than I would have liked. Jerking sideways on instinct, my body expecting something to be thrown, I watched as the light tore the ground where I had just been sending. Just the air off of it sent me to the ground, and halfway over a small cliff.

Inuyasha jumped over me, and I could hear him land at the base about a story and a half bellow me. "Give it up, kid!" he said cockily, as my struggles to stay at the top slowly failed.

"I-I-I-I-" I stuttered. I was trying to say that I wasn't against him in the first place, that the only reason I ran was because he scared me so badly, but I was still so amped up from adrenaline that I couldn't work my mouth around the words.

Suddenly lots and lots of pink lights flew over my head, flying down and forming what looked like a necklace on Inuyasha's neck. "What the hell is this!" he yelled, trying to yank it away, but every time it got over his nose it would start to glow, lighting up his pissed-off face for me to see.

"Quickly child: The Word of Subjugation!" yelled Kaede from somewhere being my struggling legs. "It matters not what word you use, but your word has the power to hold his spirit!"

I didn't know what subjugation meant at the moment (though later, when I'd calmed down, I'd realize it meant 'force to submit), but I didn't have time to think as I finally lost my balance and toppled over the edge.

Inuyasha, who was still trying to remove the necklace, caught me on instinct, and I could see his frightening, demonic glare in the quickly fading light of the beads. "Bunnies!"(2) I cried, trying to scramble out of his arms.

For a second there was a confused look on his face, before his necklace glowed suddenly I was thrown about a foot away as he did a nose dive into the dirt. I stared at the light in shock and sat up, yanking at the necklace frantically. "What the **_hell_** is this thing!?"

"I'm sorry Inuyasha." came Kaede 's calm, if slightly smug voice from above us. "Even you lack the power to remove it."

"We'll see about that you old hag!" he shouted. "I'd come up there and finish you off myself if you didn't look half dead already!"

Kaede hummed to herself. "Oh, Mamoiro? What exactly was that word you used earlier?"

I blinked up towards her, still in a sort of confused, tired daze. "Umm, bunnies?"

BAM!

"Eek! I'm sorry Inuyasha!"

X


	4. Gross Dead Jewel

The next day was very bright and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. The type of day that everyone was complaining about being too bright. But not me, I was able to see everything and everyone, even people who weren't close. I still wore my rose-tinted glasses, but that in no way meant that I was in a good mood.

"Come now, Mamoiro…" sighed Kaede as we sat inside her hut (which I could now see was just as bare as it had seemed while I couldn't), holding out a wooden bowl with a nasty looking yellow paste inside. "This will help ye heal ye's wound."

"It's just a scratch!" I insisted, backing away on my rump as Inuyasha snickered in the corner. "It isn't bleeding anymore anyways! I don't need that smelly stuff on me!"

"Yes ye do, child." insisted Kaede tiredly. "Trust me, no harm shall come to ye under my care. I am well versed in medicines and ailments, the best in the village."

"You know, it wasn't a coincidence that most everyone in the middle ages died at around 36 ya' know."

"Mamoiro…."

Inuyasha smirked. "Demons are attracted to the scent of blood, idiot. I could smell yours after being asleep for years, while it was still inside your body. Think about the stuff that'll come sniffing while it's running down your side."

I pouted, but finally nodded my head in acceptance. I was traumatized enough for one lifetime, thank you very much!

I hooked my elbows inside my t-shirt and started pulling it over my head, but jerked to a halt Kaede yelled out. "STOP!"

Putting my head back through the hole, I looked at her oddly. "What the hell is your problem!?"

Kaede sent Inuyasha a look. "You, leave us for now!"

He scoffed, but stood up, walking out with crossed arms. "Like I care what some scrawny, underdeveloped human looks like anyways. Puh-lease!"

I resisted the urge to throw something, but looked to Kaede once he was gone. "What was that for?"

"It's called modesty, child!" she exclaimed. "Ye can't parade ye-self about in front of others, be they half demon or not!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Even the- -?"

"Yes, even demons! They may not be human, but they have enough minds in them to appreciate the female form! Now, remove ye shirt and I shall apply the medicine to ye's wounds. I can see ye have scratches and such all along your back as well from the centipede legs ye bumped into."

"Which you **_didn't _**help me avoid…" I mumbled, tugging off my shirt. Once it was sitting on my knee, I sent her a glare, which she met with a soft, understanding smile.

"Be ye not worried, child. It matters not the size, you will have no problems feeding your babies, big or small."

I stared at her in disbelief. 'Some expert in medicine…' I thought, suddenly finding myself worried for the villagers.

Kaede moved behind me and started to clean up the numerous scratches along my back. "Ye know…" she said after a while. "Now that the Sacred Jewel has returned, we will have far worse demons to worry about then Mistress Centipede."

"Wonderful." I muttered.

"Not only demons, either." she continued as if I hadn't spoken. "Humans too, with evil hearts, would seek it out to realize their own petty ambitions."

"Why do you think Inuyasha wants it?" I asked, ignoring the way the smelly paste stung my cuts. "Seeing as he's half and half after all…"

"Aye. That is it exactly. Ye see, I knew him when I was just a young girl, before he was sealed to the sacred tree. He led us to believe he wanted to become fully human, but in reality, he wants to be fully demon."

"Why?"

"They are usually stronger. Not always of course, but usually. Power is all that drives his mind." She grabbed my shoulder, making me look back at her through my long hair, which had fallen into my face. Mixed with the rose-colored glasses, it made her stern face a bit harder to take seriously. "Mamoiro, ye must understand. Ye can not allow him to have the Sacred Jewel, no matter what he says. Inuyasha is not evil, but he isn't trustworthy either. Do not allow the jewel to fall into unfit hands!"

"Okay….." I whispered. This made things a bit harder. I'd have to wait until I was certain no one was around if I wanted to give it to him. Which I still did. I was really miffed about the whole trying-to-kill-me thing, but I smashed him into the dirt twice, possibly giving him brain damage, and he saved my life, and he wasn't an annoying retarded villager who kidnapped me, let me wander around blindly, let me get stuck in giant centipede legs, or called me a stupid fox. No, of course I don't hold grudges, why do you ask?

Kaede seemed to believe me, and continued cleaning the cuts and scratches (that SHE caused me to get in the first place). "I suppose ye are wondering how the jewel became lodged within ye's side?"

"Uh-huh."

"I believe ye are the reincarnation of my late sister Kikyou."

"Where'd you get that idea?"

"Ye removed the arrow from Inuyasha's chest. The arrow placed there by Kikyou."

"So?"

"She was the only one capable of removing it."

"Oh. Got it."

"Also, ye look a bit like her. If ye's hair was black, and ye's eyes brown, ye could be twins."

"Oookay."

"Also, the Sacred Jewel, which came out of ye's body, was burned fifty years ago within hers."

"Bunnies!? EW! I had a dead-lady jewel inside me!?! Disgusting!"

"It isn't inside ye anymore, child. What bothers ye so much?"

'

"It's gross! You didn't hafta tell me that! I am **_so _**out of here!" I stood up quickly, determined to run out the door, but she quickly grabbed my wrist.

"Halt, child! Put ye shirt on if ye must leave!"

"Damn you're aggravating!" I shouted, snatching the shirt and throwing it over my head, before stomping out the hut and into the village.

X

After I had cooled down a little, I found myself idly strolling around the watery field of what I thought might be rice (lets just say I got below 50 in my agriculture class. About 20 below --). I sighed as I fingered the jewel which had been attached to a necklace, which was now around my neck. "You gotta be kidding me…" I mumbled, clenching my hand around it. "They expect a little blind kid to protect a jewel from **_demons_**!?"

I looked to the side, and nearly flew out of my skin at the site of dozens of villagers bowing their heads to me. I 'eep!'-ed and quickly ran away.

Soon I was cresting a hill, to find Inuyasha sitting in a tree at the top. I smiled, having found the only person in the village who was vaguely normal. "Hey! Inuyasha!"

He turned, sniffing slightly. "What're you doing up here?"

"I can't stand to be around that horrible hag any longer. She's so aggravating!"

He smirked slightly. "Ya got that right. Same snotty brat as she was 50 years ago." he dropped down from the tree, smirking down at me. "Where'd that cat of yours go?"

I shrugged. "He's back in the village, being pampered by the kids. He's really lazy, and worked hard yesterday. He deserves as little love after all that."

Inuyasha snorted, dropping down to sit in the grass. I sat next to him a bit more gingerly, seeing as my butt had been so abused yesterday. I sighed, putting my cane into my lap. He watched me for a moment, before hiss hand snaked out, snatching up my cane.

"Oi! Give that back!" I exclaimed, trying to grab it. He held it in his opposite hand, using the left one to hold me at bay. "That's mine!"

"Wow, this is really well made!" he said, running his fingers over the dark polished wood. He let it drop a little, until his hand was over the snake-head at the top. He fingered the tiny fangs and ran his nail over the tongue inside the hissing/snarling mouth. "A lot of detail, too. Where'd you get it? I've never seen anything like this."

"Um, I got it when I was around 11. It was special-made. Can I have it back now?"

"Why would they make an eleven-year-old a cane like this? You don't gotta limp from what I've seen."

"It's not for a limp." I snapped. "Most of the time it's for just for a bit of security, I think you saw that yesterday."

"So it's a weapon? Pretty crappy one if you ask me."

"Yeah, well, where I come from there aren't many Gigantic Centipede Women Attacks."

"Same difference. It wont help much."

"Give it here and I'll show you."

Inuyasha gave me a hard look. "Are you gonna hit me again?"

"Not unless you give me a reason to."

He rolled his pretty golden eyes, handing it to me. I gave it a quick check over for scratches that he might have left, before putting my hand on the snake head. Pushing in one of the back teeth, I twisted it to the right. The head popped off, and I held up a thin dagger for the white-haired boys inspection.

His eyes glittered excitedly, and he quickly took it from my small hands. "Now **_this _**is what I call craftsmanship!" He laughed, and started rambling on about it's many different attributes, which apparently you couldn't get here.

Finally I decided that, despite how cute he looked ooh-ing and ah-ing over my hide-away dagger, having my cane in pieces was starting to make me nervous. "Erm, Inuyasha, can I have it back now?"

He pouted. "Yeah, sure."

I leaned foreword, meaning to take it back, but stopped just inches away.

"What is it?" he asked, giving me an odd look.

"What…are those?" I said as steadily as I could, my eyes trained on the top of his head.

"You mean my ears?" he asked.

"Ears?… You have….puppy ears?"

"Yeah, what of it? You can't honestly tell me you just noticed them."

"I…didn't see them…before."

"Lemme guess. You wanna touch 'em, right?"

"Could I?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No!"

I pouted. "Oh fine." I said, turning in a huff to look over the village. I waited a few moments, before leaping on top of him.

"Oi! What're you doing!?"

"I wanna touch 'em!"

"No means no!"

"Come on!"

"Their mine and I don't want your grimy little hands groping 'em!"

"They're aren't grimy and I just wanna touch 'em a little! Now Move! Your! Head!"

"Inuyasha! Mamoiro!"

We both looked to the side to see Kaede looking at us wryly.

"It seems ye two like one another more then I believed."

I blinked down at him, before blushing brightly when I realized the position we were in. I was straddling his waist, leaning over him, and he had a hand on my chest to keep me at bay. Squeaking in embarrassment, I jumped away, waving my cane around in panic. "It's not what you think! I wanted to touched his ears! Really!"

"I'm sure ye were…" she said disbelievingly. Great. She thought I was a whore. Wonderful. Oh well, it's not like respected her or anything. (3) "Either way, ye need not pay attention to Inuyasha. He is a vulgar soul, and ye nee not treat him as human. He is not, after all." (4)

Inuyasha glared at Kaede, before standing up abruptly and walking away angrily. I sent her a disgusted look, before following after him. "Inuyasha, wait up!"

We got to the edge of the woods before he stopped and looked back at me. He studied me for a moment, before sighing and kneeling down.

"What're you doing."

"If you wanna touch 'em, go on ahead." he sighed. "Just make it quick."

I smiled, reaching my cane-less hand foreword, gently stroking it with two fingers. "Wow, it really is as soft as it looks." I said.

"Humph." he looked away. "Now that you've got that outta yer system, you gotta give me something."

"Fair enough."

He looked me over, before holding out his hand. "The jewel."

"Letting me molest your ears is hardly equal trade for a magic give-all jewel." I said, smirking. "How bout this. Pal around with me for, say, a week. Long enough for me to see if your as evil as they say you are, and so I'll be able to learn the ropes with a semi-decent person and not be bored out of my mind. If you can do that, I can 'accidentally' lose the jewel in the dark part of the woods that's got no credible witnesses."

He stared at me, and slowly a smirk started to spread across his handsome, tanned face. "You got yourself a deal, Straw Hair. Ya 'know I could get to like a human like you."

I grinned. "And I could get used to a demon like yourself." made a motion with my cane, like someone tipping their hat. "By the way, most people would call my hair color 'Blonde'. So, if you were tease it, I'd be 'Blondie'."

"Gotcha."

X

I curled myself under the blankets that night inside Kaede's hut, dearly wishing that I could fall asleep. The only sense that was giving me anything useful was my hearing, and it was serving to drive me nuts. I could hear people in other huts snoring, animals walking around, a few night-owl villagers pacing between the huts, and occasionally hear Inuyasha atop roofs. There were crows in the distance and mice in the room. Snakes in the grass and bugs absolutely everywhere.

"I hate this…" I whispered, pulling Bouyo tighter against my chest. "I want to go home. At least when I get nervous at night there I can go to Souta's room."

Bouyo gave a sleepy meow, nuzzling my cheek, before drifting off to sleep again.

I sighed. "Well, at least you seem to like it here, Bouyo."

X


	5. Surprises Pop Up

I looked miserably around the forest. "How did we get lost, Bouyo?" I mumbled to the cat sitting in my arms. He had run in after a mouse and I had followed, not wanting him to get eaten by something big. But by the time I caught up, I had lost any idea of where we were. I didn't know which way the village was, and unfortunately, neither did Bouyo. "Crap, this sucks. It's so shady it looks like night time to me, everything looks the same! A blind kid and a cat, lost in the woods, in a world full of monsters! How much does that suck!?"

"Meow."

"That's right, Bouyo, a whole lot!"

Suddenly a bunch of men in dresses (ahem, olden day kimono-things) dropped out of the trees, surrounding us. Bouyo started hissing, biting any hand that came close. A man grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, tossing him over his head and into a tree.

"Bouyo!" I cried as he lay limply on the ground. I sent a look of ice to the men, quickly starting to strike at them with the cane I had previously used to keep from tripping on rocks. I am proud to say that I got in a few choice hits before it was tossed away, but it was only a few, and soon I was being dragged away to an unknown destination.

X (Inuyasha POV)

I blinked down at the villagers as they milled about in a panic. What the hell was their problem?

"I cant find her, Lady Kaede!" exclaimed an exceptionally old man, looking at the hag with worry. "We've looked everywhere, but she isn't here!"

"Could she have gone off on her own….?" asked Kaede of apparently no one. "I trusted that with her ailment she would stay nearby."

"Her kitty is gone too!" a girl around 13 years old. "Maybe they went home."

"But that would mean she went into the forest. She told me herself that she couldn't go in without somebody's help."

I hummed to myself, before jumping down, landing directly in front of her. I'd meant to give her a heart-attack, but unfortunately the old hag seemed to be the only one not surprised. Dammit. "Ailment? Can't go alone? What the hell're you talking about. I've been around her more than enough to have her scent down and she didn't smell sick to me. And last time I checked, she's old enough to go where she wants all on her own."

Kaede looked at me steadily, and none-too-condescendingly. "Mamoiro's ailment is in her eyes, Inuyasha. She can not see without the brightest of light. In the forest, she might as well be blindfolded."

I cursed under my breath. 'If that idiot got herself killed, and the jewel stolen, I am totally gonna find a way to bring her back and kill her all over again myself!'

I took to the air, rushing to the spot by the river I'd seen her at that morning. I easily picked up her trail, following, sure enough, into the woods. I didn't get too far before the cat scent got stronger than her own, and I came across the overweight feline, laying beneath a tree. Knowing that I was supposed to convince her I wasn't evil, (and I really wasn't, seriously!) I walked over, gently picking him up.

"Hey there, boy." I said, rubbing him between the ears. He mewed weakly, showing that he was still alive, and at least partially conscious. "Can you tell me where Mamoiro went?"

He flicked his tail weakly, gesturing towards a bush. I walked over, bending down, and pulled out the cane that she carried everywhere. "Kidnapped then. Great." shifting the cat into a more comfortable (for me) position in my arm, I put the cane inside the sash of my pants. Inhaling deeply, I started up on the trail once more.

X(Mamoiro POV)

"Ow!" I exclaimed as I was shoved to the ground, chin hitting the floor with teeth-chattering forced.

"Oi, Boss!" laughed one. "We got the girl, just like you said!"

One of them chuckled. "Lookit these pants! You can see just what the legs look like underneath! Leaves nothing to the imagination, eh?" He brought out his hand, giving me a pat on the rump.

I gasped, doubling my efforts to get the hell outta there. It didn't work, though, not that I really expected it to.

"Hand over the jewel, girl…" came a slow, rumbly voice. I looked up, resisting the urge to scream at the site of the 8 foot, armor-plated troll. How the hell had I missed that!?!?

The guys let me go and I scrambled to my feet, looking at him wearily. "Look… I don't have a jewel…. It's at the village.. And the village is protected by this demon, so you'd best not try anything r else you'll be, like, dead…. Really dead."

The men laughed, and the troll just sort of lurched foreword, sword raised. He swung and missed, decapitating the man beside me as easily as if he were a dandelion. He chuckled, grinning as the man's body fell, and all the others drew back in horror.

"Why'd you do that, Boss!?"

"Boss, what's wrong with you!?"

"Can't you dumb-asses see there is something wrong with him!?" I snapped. "If the rest of us don't get outta here we'll be as bad off as that guy!"

"Straw-Hair is right, we gotta get out of here!"

They ran for the door, but the troll hit a support beam of the cottage/thing, causing that side of the room to cave in, thus removing the exit. "Gimme the jewel…." he groaned, walking towards them stiffly.

"Wadda we do!?" cried one of the huge, muscular, scary guys behind me.

"We're gonna die!" cried an even bigger, scarier looking one.

"There's no way out!"

I ground my teeth together in annoyance, snapping the necklace as I tore the jewel off of it. "You want the jewel, you make us an exit!" I yelled, throwing it through a gap in the rubble. With the way he had been moving so far, I was sure that I could beat him to the jewel even if it was nighttime… but just in case. "Guys, you grab that jewel for me once he makes an exit okay!? Think of it as payment for saving your lives."

"Got it, Boss!" they sounded obediently.,

"Boss…? Oh, whatever! Fine!"

As we had spoken, the Troll Man had started ramming his bulk against the wall. It wasn't as affective as if he'd been less sluggish, but the wall was steadily breaking.

Finally with a resounding crash he fell through the wall, pieces of it falling on top of him and stopping him from getting up right away.

One of the men scooped me up bridal-style (much to my annoyance) and they all charged through the opening, purposely stomping the man into the ground on the way. A few of the smaller guys quickly started looking in the grass for the jewel.

Suddenly, in a blur of red, I found myself in a different set of arms. I looked up in surprise, to see none other than Inuyasha as he set me on the ground a 'safe' distance away. "Inuyasha!" I exclaimed.

"You okay?" he asked.

"A little bruised, but otherwise fine."

"Good." he said, holding out a fluffy multi-colored bundle.

"Bouyo!" I exclaimed happily, as I took the drowsy-looking cat into my arms. He gave a cat-smile, flicking his tail. "Oh, thank goodness your okay!"

Two of the men ran over to us. Inuyasha brandished his claws, but they ignored him. "Boss! We tried to get it, but some insane looking crow grabbed it right as we found it!"

"Boss?" said Inuyasha in confusion.

"What! Shit! Did someone take care of the Troll?"

"Yeah, Tsuha made sure he was dead."

"Okay."

"Troll!?" floundered Inuyasha. "What the hell did I miss!?"

"Is that really important Inuyasha!? Right now, a weird crow stole away the jewel!"

"SAY WHAT!?!?"

"Which way did it go?" I asked the man.

He pointed and I nodded, pushing Bouyo into his arms. Take him to the village, be careful, okay? After that, you guys don't owe me any more."

"Understood" he said, holding Bouyo carefully.

I looked at the half-demon beside me, who appeared to be having a heart attack and a couple light strokes. "Oi! Dog-Boy! We going after it or what!?"

"Of course we are! Grab those arrows and a bow and lets get going!"

I did what he said, and he quickly put me on his back, and started leaping through the trees, quickly gaining on the demon crow.

"You gonna use these or what?" I asked gesturing to the old-fashioned weapons.

"No. You are."

"You kidding!? I can't shoot an arrow!"

"I heard from the villagers that your Kikyou's incarnation, right?"

"That's the story they're shoving down my throat. Why?"

"Well," he jumped into the trees getting closer to the bird. "She was Master Archer. You should be too."

"But my eyesight sucks!"

"I know. But you can see the jewel without any light at all, right?"

"So you want my to aim for the light of the jewel?"

"Exactly!"

"What if I hit it and it breaks?"

"Not possible. It magic, it's not gonna just break."

"Fine, but if it shatters its on your head." I picked up the bow, placing the arrow in what I hoped was the correct spot. Drawing the surprisingly tight string as far back I could manage, I lined it up with crow and let it fly!

Straight. Into. The ground.

Inuyasha snickered, and I resisted the urge to smack him in the head. "Shut up! It was my first try!"

"Psh, lemme take care of this!" He drew back his claws, getting as close as he could. I held his shoulders tightly, willing all of my strength into him. "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" He cried, and slashed his claws through the air, creating four golden lights that flew towards the crow. The crow screeched in agony as it's body was torn to shreds. Just I was about to let out a whoop of victory, the bright purple light grew and flew off in different directions, in pieces.

"Oh…. Shit."

"Shit? What's oh shit!? What just happened, Mamoiro!?" shouted Inuyasha, skidding to a stop on the ground. I slowly got off his back, giving him a wide-eyed-and-scared look. Without answering I walked to the side, digging my hand threw the grass, before holding up a tiny purple/pink shard of what looked to be glass. Inuyasha stared at it in horror. "What…the hell… is **_that_**!?"

"I think… it's a shard of the Sacred Jewel."

"**_WHAT'D YOU SAY!!!???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_**"

X


End file.
